Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Yesterday, hungry and a little dizzy after skipping lunch, I started digging through my desk for calories. On top of the foil stars I secretly added to a Staples order, and the company issued aluminum push-pins, I found a handful of cinnamon candies I had been keeping as much for their aesthetic value as for their flavor.

Originally housed in a crystal canister containing butterscotches, peppermints and the occasional caramel, the cinnamons were clearly the stars. I slowly fished them out a few at a time, stockpiling them in opaque paper cups next to my pens, and in drawers under Sharpies and loose change. I liked knowing they were there, an emergency stash. Each little red disc shrouded in cellophane perfectly Pantone matched. Each containing just enough sustenance and distraction to carry me a few more hours.